Is this really a good idea?  article from http://slashdot.org

Internet Archive Challenges Google

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday October 22, @09:52AM
from the pistols-at-dawn dept.

richards1052 writes “The Internet Archive, whose main claim to fame is the Wayback Machine, designed to archive the internet’s web history, has created a new project: the Open Content Alliance. It’s purpose is to open the nation’s library collections to universal web search. A number of major library systems, including the Boston Public Library and Smithsonian, have refused to sign up with competing ventures by Microsoft and Google because they do not provide for universal access to digitized books. These commercial ventures prohibit books being accessed by competing search engines. So far, 80 libraries and research institutions have signed on with Open Content Alliance. They must pay for the scanning of their books while Google and Microsoft offset that cost for their participating institutions.”

Maybe others will come around in the future.